Longtime property appraiser dies at 75

Published: Friday, January 31, 2014 at 6:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, January 31, 2014 at 6:00 p.m.

Rudy Muckenfuss, who spent nearly two decades as Marion County’s elected property appraiser and won praise for his innovative approach to compiling and tracking land records and values, has died. He was 75.

FILE PHOTO - Longtime Marion County Property Appraiser Rudy Muckenfuss is shown in his McPherson Complex Office in Ocala on June 26, 1991. He was property appraiser from 1980 until 1996.

Barry R. Tice/Ocala Star-Banner

A native of Cincinnati, Muckenfuss moved to Ocala in 1963. He was working as a draftsman for a machine tool company and as a credit manager for a department store in 1965 when he accepted a job with the city of Ocala as the assistant to the city clerk.

One of his duties was preparing the city’s property tax rolls, and that launched a 31-year career in assessing the value of local lands.

Muckenfuss joined the county Property Appraiser’s Office in 1969, when city and county officials merged their respective property tax rolls.

In January 1980, then-Gov. Bob Graham appointed Muckenfuss to fill the vacancy left by former Property Appraiser Charles Fleming, who had stepped down to pursue other interests.

Muckenfuss had been Fleming’s top lieutenant when Graham tapped him in 1980. Muckenfuss told the Star-Banner in 1991 that he had to switch political parties in order to be appointed. Muckenfuss, a Republican, became a Democrat, like Graham.

Other than that, though, Muckenfuss appeared to have a distaste for politics.

He asserted his post was above that and once told the Star-Banner he prided himself on not accepting campaign contributions.

“I am not a politician,” Muckenfuss told the newspaper in January 1996, when he announced he would not seek a fifth term. “I never wanted to be property appraiser. I was sort of thrust into it when Charlie resigned.”

Despite that, and the fact that Muckenfuss had once said that appraising land values was not an exact science, he introduced a number of computer-driven, cutting-edge innovations that appear quaint when viewed from 2014 but actually changed the nature of his job and the work of his staff.

For example, he was among the first in the state to embrace the Geographic Information System, or GIS, for computerized mapping of all the land parcels in Marion County.

Initially, the computer system he implemented kept track of the location, legal description, property records and floor plans of properties countywide.

In time, Muckenfuss pushed forward for additional digital tracking that would define each piece of property with factors that included soil type, elevation, available utilities, ownership and use — information that today is available through the office’s website.

To that point, the Florida Association of Cadastral Mappers, a group that specializes in marking property lines, recognized Muckenfuss in 1991 with its outstanding achievement award.

In 1992, Muckenfuss linked up with researchers from IBM and the University of Florida to develop a way to assess storm damage by using handheld computers.

The portable units enabled his appraisers and relief workers to gauge damage to homes and neighborhoods to speed up the processing of aid from government agencies and insurers.

The system was put to an almost immediate test. Between March 1993 and January 1995, Marion County was rocked by one violent storm and two tornadoes.

After the third incident, a tornado that ripped through Summerfield, the Star-Banner reported how Muckenfuss and his team, using their portable computers’ link to the 911 system, had within 14 hours identified the areas hit by the storm and conducted a complete damage assessment on 205 parcels.

Muckenfuss may have eschewed politics, but he did show empathy for the little guy.

For instance, when the Federal Emergency Management Agency appeared to be foot-dragging in bringing relief to the victims of that January 1995 tornado, he remarked, “If this was Beverly Hills, Calif., and the homes were worth $5 million each, they would be right here. Since these are $25,000 homes in Ocklawaha, they don’t seem to qualify.”

When he announced that he would not run again in January 1996, Muckenfuss told the Star-Banner that one reason for his getting out was the state’s handling of property appraisals.

He objected to a state mandate that landowners file their Social Security numbers with their homestead exemption applications.

Muckenfuss also denounced Save Our Homes, the 1992 constitutional amendment limited assessments on homeowners to a maximum of 3 percent a year. The idea was pushed by coastal areas at a time when land values were skyrocketing.

“The catchy title ‘Save Our Homes’ makes me sick. It’s not going to save anyone’s home. It’s going to reduce the taxes on the rich,” Muckenfuss told the Star-Banner in December 1993, as the amendment was being implemented.

Current Property Appraiser Villie Smith, who worked under Muckenfuss for 21 years before taking over for him in 1996, said his predecessor was ahead of his time.

The office today, he added, simply uses the updated version of the technology that Muckenfuss introduced a generation ago.

To Muckenfuss, Smith said, technology was “something that he saw that could help us do our job better.”

Beyond that, though, Smith recalled Muckenfuss as an upbeat presence in the workplace.

“He was always smiling, always happy,” Smith said. “For those of us who worked for him, he was a great boss and a great friend.”

Smith added that he learned what it meant to be a public servant from Muckenfuss and his close associate, Thomas “Mac” Olson, who served as Marion County’s tax collector for 33 years until retiring in 2004. Olson also died earlier this month.

Away from his job, Smith said, Muckenfuss was a devoted family man and avid outdoorsman, who loved to fish and play golf and tennis.

<p>Rudy Muckenfuss, who spent nearly two decades as Marion County's elected property appraiser and won praise for his innovative approach to compiling and tracking land records and values, has died. He was 75.</p><p>A native of Cincinnati, Muckenfuss moved to Ocala in 1963. He was working as a draftsman for a machine tool company and as a credit manager for a department store in 1965 when he accepted a job with the city of Ocala as the assistant to the city clerk.</p><p>One of his duties was preparing the city's property tax rolls, and that launched a 31-year career in assessing the value of local lands.</p><p>Muckenfuss joined the county Property Appraiser's Office in 1969, when city and county officials merged their respective property tax rolls.</p><p>In January 1980, then-Gov. Bob Graham appointed Muckenfuss to fill the vacancy left by former Property Appraiser Charles Fleming, who had stepped down to pursue other interests.</p><p>Muckenfuss had been Fleming's top lieutenant when Graham tapped him in 1980. Muckenfuss told the Star-Banner in 1991 that he had to switch political parties in order to be appointed. Muckenfuss, a Republican, became a Democrat, like Graham.</p><p>Other than that, though, Muckenfuss appeared to have a distaste for politics.</p><p>He asserted his post was above that and once told the Star-Banner he prided himself on not accepting campaign contributions.</p><p>“I am not a politician,” Muckenfuss told the newspaper in January 1996, when he announced he would not seek a fifth term. “I never wanted to be property appraiser. I was sort of thrust into it when Charlie resigned.”</p><p>Despite that, and the fact that Muckenfuss had once said that appraising land values was not an exact science, he introduced a number of computer-driven, cutting-edge innovations that appear quaint when viewed from 2014 but actually changed the nature of his job and the work of his staff.</p><p>For example, he was among the first in the state to embrace the Geographic Information System, or GIS, for computerized mapping of all the land parcels in Marion County.</p><p>Initially, the computer system he implemented kept track of the location, legal description, property records and floor plans of properties countywide.</p><p>In time, Muckenfuss pushed forward for additional digital tracking that would define each piece of property with factors that included soil type, elevation, available utilities, ownership and use — information that today is available through the office's website.</p><p>To that point, the Florida Association of Cadastral Mappers, a group that specializes in marking property lines, recognized Muckenfuss in 1991 with its outstanding achievement award.</p><p>In 1992, Muckenfuss linked up with researchers from IBM and the University of Florida to develop a way to assess storm damage by using handheld computers.</p><p>The portable units enabled his appraisers and relief workers to gauge damage to homes and neighborhoods to speed up the processing of aid from government agencies and insurers.</p><p>The system was put to an almost immediate test. Between March 1993 and January 1995, Marion County was rocked by one violent storm and two tornadoes.</p><p>After the third incident, a tornado that ripped through Summerfield, the Star-Banner reported how Muckenfuss and his team, using their portable computers' link to the 911 system, had within 14 hours identified the areas hit by the storm and conducted a complete damage assessment on 205 parcels.</p><p>Muckenfuss may have eschewed politics, but he did show empathy for the little guy.</p><p>For instance, when the Federal Emergency Management Agency appeared to be foot-dragging in bringing relief to the victims of that January 1995 tornado, he remarked, “If this was Beverly Hills, Calif., and the homes were worth $5 million each, they would be right here. Since these are $25,000 homes in Ocklawaha, they don't seem to qualify.”</p><p>When he announced that he would not run again in January 1996, Muckenfuss told the Star-Banner that one reason for his getting out was the state's handling of property appraisals.</p><p>He objected to a state mandate that landowners file their Social Security numbers with their homestead exemption applications.</p><p>Muckenfuss also denounced Save Our Homes, the 1992 constitutional amendment limited assessments on homeowners to a maximum of 3 percent a year. The idea was pushed by coastal areas at a time when land values were skyrocketing.</p><p>“The catchy title 'Save Our Homes' makes me sick. It's not going to save anyone's home. It's going to reduce the taxes on the rich,” Muckenfuss told the Star-Banner in December 1993, as the amendment was being implemented.</p><p>“It's a lose, lose, lose thing. You don't change the Constitution (of Florida) unless it treats everybody the same. Amendment 10 doesn't treat everybody the same.”</p><p>Current Property Appraiser Villie Smith, who worked under Muckenfuss for 21 years before taking over for him in 1996, said his predecessor was ahead of his time.</p><p>The office today, he added, simply uses the updated version of the technology that Muckenfuss introduced a generation ago.</p><p>To Muckenfuss, Smith said, technology was “something that he saw that could help us do our job better.”</p><p>Beyond that, though, Smith recalled Muckenfuss as an upbeat presence in the workplace.</p><p>“He was always smiling, always happy,” Smith said. “For those of us who worked for him, he was a great boss and a great friend.”</p><p>Smith added that he learned what it meant to be a public servant from Muckenfuss and his close associate, Thomas “Mac” Olson, who served as Marion County's tax collector for 33 years until retiring in 2004. Olson also died earlier this month.</p><p>Away from his job, Smith said, Muckenfuss was a devoted family man and avid outdoorsman, who loved to fish and play golf and tennis.</p><p><i> Contact Bill Thompson at 867-4117 or at bill.thompson@ocala.com</i></p>